The Long Winter
by EldritchSandwich
Summary: The 20th and final episode in the Change of Heart series, with a big thanks to all my loyal readers! Fifteen years after his victory, Xana has trapped the world in an ice age. To safeguard the future, the Gang must face what went wrong in the past...


With a brittle crack, the crab sunk a red claw in to the ice, swinging its head up for a calculating sweep across the empty white expanse. With methodical precision, each leg swiveled onto the new platform, the glowing eye alert for the danger its group had been dispatched to eradicate. Suddenly, the head shifted, metallic legs clacking excitedly as the robot detected the trace of a heat signature. The monster eased forward, eye focused, laser charging for the kill.

Then the world ended.

Ulrich flipped back as the monster melted away; Yumi and Sissi had already taken care of the other two.

"Jeremie, what else have you got for us?"

"Hornets, coming in ten degrees north."

"I see them. Laser arrow!" The first of the flying monsters dissolved in the middle of its charge on Odd. Before the rest of the flight could turn on him, a razor-edged fan and a barrage of shuriken shattered them. The block that had taken the opportunity to sneak around the group's rear hadn't even had time to charge its laser. Ulrich pulled his sword free with a grunt.

"Is that all?"

"For now. Keep heading east."

"Right." Ulrich trotted ahead to the rest of the group. "So, Odd, how many does that make for you today?"

"Six." At the sound of buzzing wings, the blond whipped around and let an arrowhead fly. When what remained of the hornet dissolved on the air, Odd grinned. "Seven."

"Really? I've got nine already."

Sissi shook her head and elbowed Yumi. "Boys and their silly competitions."

Yumi nodded. "I know. Especially silly since I've got fifteen…"

Odd glared at her. "No you don't!"

"Jeremie's keeping track, if you don't believe me."

Their friend's voice echoed through their heads. "It's true, Xana does seem to be throwing everything he has at us on this one."

"Eh, it's nothing we can't handle." Ulrich dove toward the crab as it turned a corner. Jeremie watched the red icon blink out and shook his head.

"You guys are the best."

The two blocks guarding the Tower exploded in a hail of shrapnel as Aelita dove into the structure. Jeremie watched the indicators die down, and shook his head in amazement. They did it. Every time. "All right, I'm bringing you all back home."

The friends jostled casually as a grinning Aelita rejoined them. "So, what are we going to do this weekend? I heard they're having a—"

The drift under his feet gave way, and Ulrich tumbled forward. The cold and the impact stung at his face, but the brunette forced his hands into the packed snow and lifted himself, agonizingly, back in to the wind, the canvas bag clutched tightly to his chest. He thought he could see the outline of the house in the distance; but then, with the visibility as low as it was, he was just as likely imagining the whole thing. Still, he struggled toward the shape against both the grating wind and the fatigue in his own spent muscles. He would have yelled for her, but even if he'd been right in front of the house she wouldn't have been able to hear him over the howl of the wind. Another patch of fresh snow gave out, and before Ulrich could react his leg had wrenched to the side and he had crashed back to the ground.

He hissed in pain as he tried to move his leg, and clawed vainly at the snow, desperate to gain even one more inch before he succumbed to the cold and exhaustion. Finally, with a shudder, he dropped back to the snow and, against his greatest attempts to fight it, his eyes fell shut.

…

Ulrich's eyes shot open with a violent snort. The itch of sudden warmth spread throughout his body, and his vision slowly refocused to the dim interior of the house. A familiar dark silhouette filled his view. Yumi smiled.

"Hey there."

He groaned. "Outside…I…how did I get in here?"

Yumi helped his shaking hands find the cup of tea she offered him. "The traditional way. I carried you in."

"Yumi…"

"You weren't far. I could see you from the front window."

"I don't want you going out there." Yumi glared at him the way she always did when she thought she'd been insulted, hints of crows' feet crinkling beside her eyes—she was getting them early. "You know what I mean. I don't want Jim to be alone."

Yumi's gaze unconsciously shifted to the crib in the corner of the room before turning back to her husband. "And I don't want you to freeze to death." She planted a brief kiss on his lips, then eased down on to the faded recliner beside him holding the cup of tea between them to make the most of its warmth. "It's so bad out today. You should have waited for the wind to die down, we have enough to last us."

Ulrich shook his head. "No, the weather's only been getting worse the last couple days. I didn't want to take the chance we might get snowed in again." He glanced around what remained of Yumi's parents' house; the blankets nailed over the windows to keep in the heat, the beds from upstairs that now sat where the couch once had, the kitchen littered with empty cans of heating oil and the potted plants that Sissi somehow managed to keep alive. "Where are Odd and Sissi?"

"They went to give Jeremie some things. For all the good it does him…"

"Ah, I wish they'd waited. I brought something for him back with the supplies."

"Well, you and Odd can take it to him next week."

Ulrich lifted himself out of the chair with a tired groan. "No, if I don't get it to him soon, I'll never hear the end of it." He slipped the jewel case from the supply bag, and Yumi sighed.

"Not more data for his 'research?' Honestly, I don't know why you encourage him."

"He thinks that he's getting close to figuring it out." His wife shook her head. "Yumi, if he can—"

"Fifteen years, Ulrich!" The bundle in the crib stirred and Yumi clamped a hand over her mouth, suddenly aware of the volume of her voice. "Ever since Aelita…he's been obsessed over this. He doesn't sleep, he barely eats. I went to see him last week and I hardly recognized him. He's destroying himself for nothing."

Ulrich turned to face her. "You don't think he can do it."

"Of course I do. But…not in the shape he's in now." Yumi took gentle hold of her husband's arms. "Right now, we need to focus on living our lives. The Supercalculator can't do help us do that."

Ulrich nodded, then pulled away. "I'll be back with Odd and Sissi."

"Are you sure you can travel?"

"There's not much overland to the factory; the sewers are still pretty clear. I'll be fine." Yumi nodded as he gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Besides, if I hit any trouble, Odd and Sissi'll run in to me coming the other way." Ulrich put his hand on the doorknob, then paused, turning back to Yumi for a lingering kiss. "I love you."

Yumi smiled halfheartedly. "Don't say that. It makes it sound like you're not coming back."

Ulrich chuckled, then was gone. Yumi closed the door behind him, then pushed aside the blanket over the front window to watch him disappear in to the snow. A high-pitched wail from the opposite corner of the living room drew her attention, and in an instant Yumi had scooped their son in to her arms. "Shh, sh, Jim, it's okay, sweetie. Mommy's here. Mommy's here."

Sissi caught the flying morsel of cornbread on the tip of her tongue, almost tipping back over the bench in the process. She righted herself, swallowed, and smiled. "Four."

As she prepared a return serve to Odd, Ulrich shook his head. "You guys are ridiculous."

Odd caught Sissi's projectile in his mouth and smiled. "You know, you're right. It's a lot better with popcorn."

"Odd, don't talk with your mouth full."

The blond glared slyly at a grinning Aelita, but swallowed. "So, what's everyone doing this weekend?"

"Ulrich and I are going to my little brother's school play."

"Why, again?"

Yumi jabbed Ulrich's side playfully. "Because you'll do anything for me."

Jeremie chuckled and pushed himself off from the table. "I have got to get some sleep. I'll see you all tomorrow." Aelita squeezed his hand warmly as he pulled away. As he dropped off his empty tray and turned toward the doors out in to the cool night air, Jeremie couldn't help but smile. Things had never been better.

…

Ulrich pulled himself through the manhole back into the freezing wind. The factory loomed ahead of him, streaked with snow and long-frozen mud. The west section of the roof had caved in long ago, leaving a gaping hole in the structure. Every time he came here, Ulrich worried more and more about the building's stability—and Jeremie's. Shaking Yumi's concerns—and his own—out of his head, he pushed ahead through the blizzard. If it was possible, the snow was getting worse; the well-worn footprints heading across the factory bridge were all but filled. He wrapped a gloved hand around the rope ladder—the swinging cables had given out years ago—and descended carefully to the factory floor. Thanks to the hole in the roof, most of the floor was dusted with snow, except for a perfect circle surrounding the elevator shaft; Ulrich shuddered to think how much power the lab must be using. He snapped his head to the slow, steadily growing rhythm of the lift; he was just in time.

Odd was the first out of the lift, his thick beard split open by a toothy smile as soon as he saw his old friend. "Hey, Ulrich, fancy meeting you here."

Ulrich clasped his friend's hand warmly, then turned to give Sissi an affectionate hug and a peck on the cheek. The black-haired woman grinned. "What, we live in four hundred square feet and we don't see enough of each other?"

"I did Jeremie a favor on my supply run. How is he?"

Odd's smile faded. "Spread out. He's obviously eating and sleeping enough to keep him alive, but I don't know when." The blond cast a worried glance back at the open lift. "He doesn't even seem to notice we're there anymore."

Ulrich nodded. It seemed like he got worse every week. "All right, I'm gonna take this down to him."

"I should head back. Yumi's probably got her hands full with that little monster."

Ulrich chuckled. "Oh, right, I forgot, Aunt Sissi's the only person in the whole wide world who really knows how to take care of him."

Sissi shrugged. "Is what it is." She gestured to Odd. "You coming?"

"I'll walk back with Ulrich. See you at home." The blond leaned forward as his wife wrapped her arms around his neck for a goodbye kiss that almost made Ulrich blush. As Sissi cleared the rope ladder, Ulrich shook his head.

"How do you two keep this up?"

Odd grinned. "We haven't been married as long as you have, remember?"

"That's not what I'm talking about." Odd glanced back toward the lift, frowned, and nodded. "I'm going down to see him."

"I'll be here."

Ulrich tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator creaked downward; it seemed to take longer every time. Finally, the doors opened on the lab and Ulrich's senses were assaulted by the stink of long-expired food and the impossibly frantic clacking of computer keys. Ulrich kicked an empty box of granola bars out of his way as he headed toward the console—Sissi had tried to clean up after him at first, but had given up years ago. "Jeremie?" The clacking kept up its pace, the mass of greasy once-blond hair didn't show any sign of movement. "Jeremie, it's Ulrich." Ulrich reached the console at the same time as the end of his patience, and he yanked the man's shoulder toward him.

Jeremie squinted up through filthy glasses—Ulrich had no idea how he could see a thing through them—as if he weren't entirely sure what he was seeing. Ulrich held up the disk between two fingers. "You wanted this." Jeremie's arm shot forward, but Ulrich pulled the gift away. At long last, a glint of recognition appeared in his eyes, and Ulrich almost dared to smile. "Not until I see you eat something."

Jeremie glanced pleadingly back at the computer screen, then at the disk, then at Ulrich's face. Then he nodded. Ulrich walked back from the console, and after a moment Jeremie lifted himself from the chair and followed shakily.

Ulrich found an empty spot on the floor and sat, legs crossed, as he returned the disk to his coat. Jeremie sat down across from him, and Ulrich passed the blond one of the protein bars Sissi had left for him. Jeremie peeled back the silver plastic and bit in to the thin brown cake with distaste. Ulrich almost laughed at that. "Yeah, I know, but we can get to a whole warehouse full of them and they never go bad." Jeremie nodded. "Sissi left you a can of fuel. Do you want some tea?" Jeremie looked up, blinked, then nodded.

Ulrich set up the tin kettle, ignited the fuel can with the last survivor of the matchbook in his pocket, and watched his broken friend eat.

…

As the tea steeped, Ulrich held out his hand. "Give me your glasses." Jeremie, still eating, lifted them off his head obediently, and the bigger man made an attempt to clean the long-neglected lenses on his coat. When he handed them back, they at least looked translucent. "Here." Jeremie smiled fleetingly as he put the crooked spectacles back on, then his gaze turned unwittingly to the computer console. Ulrich poured the tea and sighed. "How's your research going?"

The blond turned to him—it was the first time Ulrich had recognized his friend since he'd arrived. "I'm getting so close, Ulrich. Numbers, letters, time, space. You have no idea." He swallowed heartily and took the tin cup Ulrich offered. "I can taste it. All these years…"

Ulrich sighed. "She's not coming back, Jeremie." The blond looked up. Ulrich held his gaze. "Ever. I'm not trying to be cruel, but you have to hear it." Jeremie squinted. "Aelita's gone."

Jeremie stared in to his friend's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Then he shook his head. "No. She never went anywhere, Ulrich. Time travel, space travel. She's everywhere at once, just like everybody who died in the attacks. Nobody ever goes away."

Ulrich cast one last, forlorn glance at the shriveled mass before him then, with a frustrated sigh, opened his coat and passed Jeremie the disk. The blond's hand snapped out and, before Ulrich knew it, Jeremie was back at the computer, muttering something Ulrich didn't try too hard to hear. The brunette shook his head sadly and turned back toward the lift. As the doors slid shut, one snippet of Jeremie's ramblings carried across the room.

"…any number of sides. I know you're in there somewhere…"

Ulrich closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.

"How is he?"

Ulrich cracked his neck as he stepped out of the lift. Odd was still standing on the factory floor, rogue snowflakes clinging to his beard. "I got him to eat something, and talk a little. He says he's close."

"Well, that's good."

"He's been saying it for a decade."

"Well, then, it only gets truer every time he says it. I feel it too, man. All this suffering. We're due."

Ulrich sighed and turned his gaze to the dirty factory windows and the bitter white desert that stretched as far as he could see. "We're leaving, Odd."

Odd squinted. "Right. It's getting late."

"No. Yumi and me. We're taking Jim and we're going south."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing…"

"We can join up with a caravan. I've heard there are still some places near the equator where it's warm enough to grow a few things…"

"You can't abandon the mission, man!"

"Odd, don't try to tell me about—"

"It was **your** mission! You're the one who kept us all fighting, no matter how bad it seemed, you always—"

"**Fifteen years!**" Ulrich whipped around to face his friend. "Damn it, Odd, I have a son now! I can't let him grow up where his parents have wasted their lives."

"Jeremie's going to find the answer. You do still believe that, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Ulrich sighed and rubbed his hands wearily across his wind-chapped face. "But when he does, it won't matter where we are. In the mean time, I have **got** to take care of my family."

Odd opened his mouth to rebut, then closed his eyes. "I can't talk you out of this."

Ulrich smiled sadly. "No, you can't. As soon as this storm dies down, we're gone."

Odd took a deep breath and nodded. "Have you thought about what you're going to tell Sissi and Jeremie?"

"I hadn't even considered it. Sissi'll understand. Jeremie…I don't even know if I could face him."

Odd nodded as they turned toward the rope ladder. "We'll look after him."

Ulrich clamped a glove over his best friend's shoulder. "I know."

Jeremie leaned up out of bed groggily. It didn't sound like his alarm clock. He blinked, settled his glasses over the bridge of his nose, and the flashing computer screen came in to focus. He spun the chair around easily, sliding in front of the keyboard and opening the scanner program. Sure enough. He picked up the cell phone from his desk and pressed the speed dial for Odd.

"Huh? Eh, who's there?"

"Come on, Odd, it's not that early."

"Jeremie? What are you doing in my room?"

Jeremie sighed and gave his friend a moment to wake up. "Wake Ulrich, then get to the factory. I'm gonna call the girls."

"Xana? Good, I could use a little exercise before breakfast."

Jeremie grinned as Odd hung up. After so long, they finally had Xana on the defensive. This would be a cakewalk.

…

Jeremie heard the scraping of wheels on pavement echo through the tunnel, and a grinning Sissi on her scooter rolled up beside him. "You ready for this?" Jeremie teased, flipping his vehicle around to rest against the wall by the exit ladder.

"Oh, please, just point me toward those monsters and I'm there."

He offered her his hand as she emerged into the early morning light, and Sissi steadied herself on the bridge as Odd and Aelita jogged to a stop beside them. "Hey, you two, taken up spelunking?"

Jeremie smiled flatly as he slid the manhole cover closed with his foot. "You're a riot, Della Robia. Where're the others?"

"On their way—Ulrich was going to head toward Yumi's house and meet up with her," Aelita piped in.

"Right. We'll send the three of you in now to get a head start on Xana. Come on."

The others matched Jeremie's pace toward the factory door. Odd chuckled appreciatively. "Whoa, Einstein, you been working out or something?"

"We're on a winning streak, Odd. Got to keep it up."

Sissi, the last one on to the elevator, smiled breathlessly. "I get that."

"Yeah, well I still don't." Odd had his arms crossed over his chest defensively, and Sissi sighed.

"It's their choice, honey."

"I know that." Odd spared a glance at the others; Ulrich was standing motionless in the kitchen corner, while Yumi was fussing over young Jim's most recent tantrum. "And I want you two to be happy, you know that. But I still think it's a bad idea." Ulrich turned an annoyed glance at him, and Odd raised his hands. "Not just because of Jeremie. It's dangerous. What if there aren't any caravans? How are you going to get all that way alone?"

"Better to try." Yumi leaned away from Jim's crib as the other eyes in the room turned on her. "What's the alternative, stay here for the rest of our lives? Just learn to live with endless winter?" Yumi's head turned toward the windows, a far-off look in her eyes. "I haven't seen the sun in fifteen years," she whispered.

"None of us have." Sissi sighed. "You know whatever you decide, we'll support you."

Yumi nodded and, tears welling behind her eyes, caught Sissi in an unexpected hug. Finally the taller woman pulled away with a grunt, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "Anyway. Who's hungry?"

"There's one!" Odd growled, a hornet shattering to pieces. He swung his arm around. "There's two!"

The third hornet dove at Sissi, and the ninja brought her bracers up to absorb the laser. When her arms parted, a shuriken was already between her fingers.

"Jeremie, we're here."

"Good. I'll send you right in."

"Why bother, Einstein? We've got everything under control here."

Ulrich grinned at Yumi as the comm transmission wafted in to the elevator. "Yeah, but we want to play too."

Jeremie shook his head as two of the scanner icons lit up. "Transfer—Ulrich. Transfer—Yumi. Scanner—Ulrich. Scanner—Yumi. Virtualization!"

The samurai and geisha dissolved into the verdant surroundings of the Forest region and glanced around expectantly. "Oh, thanks a lot, Odd. Looks like you got rid of all the quality monsters before we got here."

The blond shrugged. "Don't worry. I've got some blocks on layaway."

The sound of clicking metal feet sounded behind them, and a mass of yellow cubes came in to view from beyond the trees. Odd coughed awkwardly. "Well, that'll teach me."

Ulrich flipped his saber from its sheath, twirling it expertly in his hands, and grinned. He loved this part.

…

The blocks that had made the mistake of standing in a straight line skittered through their death throes as Ulrich's blade finished its arc. "Hey, three at once. That's got to be some kind of record, right Jeremie?"

The blond chuckled. "I'll add it to the list."

The samurai ducked as Yumi's fan shot past his head, cleaving the target eye of the block that was trying to sneak up on him. He smiled wryly as the geisha pursed her lips. "Yeah, yeah. I owe you."

Sissi dispatched the last block with a flick of her wrist, and the group began a hard sprint down the forest pathway. "Jeremie, what's between us and the Tower?"

Jeremie glanced at the monitors. "Nothing you can't handle. I think Xana sent his big guns at you all at once. It should be pretty smooth sailing from here on."

Yumi kicked a cockroach from the bridge as they ran. "Think we'll be done before they stop serving breakfast at school?"

Odd grinned. "Hey, that's my line!"

The blond slid to a stop, his arrows destroying the last two roaches.

"Oh, you're just—" Sissi's words were cut off as the ninja flew back against the trunk of the nearest tree. Aelita helped her to her feet as the others formed in to a protective semicircle. The tarantula guarding the Tower let out its familiar bellow, and the swarm of hornets circling its head dove toward the invaders.

Ulrich tightened his grip on the saber's hilt. "Oh, good. I was wondering when this would get interesting."

Jeremie swept his fingers over the keys feverishly. He was getting so close…numbers…formulas…calculations…DNA…synapses…light…sound. He stopped.

That was what he really missed. Her sound.

The sound of her laughter when he'd said something funny—or even just when he'd made a fool out of himself. He hadn't heard her laugh in fifteen years.

Jeremie blinked. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't heard anyone laugh in fifteen years.

Sissi dove hard to the left, flipping out a pair of shuriken, but neither struck home. "I can't seem to hit these hornets!"

Ulrich managed to tear one out of the air with a well placed swing, but the other two were staying out of range. "Jeremie, we need vehicles!"

Jeremie started typing again, muttering to himself. He didn't know what he was saying, however—or, at least, he didn't think he did. The sound of the keys got in the way. But he couldn't stop now.

Yumi dropped face-down to the grass, the tarantula's blast passing just above her head. She tossed out a fan as she rolled to her feet, but the monster wobbled to the left and the attack only grazed one of its legs. "Jeremie, vehicles, now!"

The blond tapped furiously at the keys. "Yeah, I'm working on it."

New strings of code were just visible through his filthy glasses, and Jeremie's typing reached a crescendo. This was it. This was what he was looking for.

This is what would save her. Save them all.

He could still see her face. He could still hear their last conversation play out. Then…Lyoko.

"Jeremie!"

"I'm trying! Hang tight!"

"Laser Arrow!" A hornet exploded in midair. "Try faster!"

He still remembered the last things he heard from them as they fought. He let them down. But now he could do this.

Yumi let the fan slice through the air, shrieking exuberantly as it dropped the last hornet. As she twisted away to grab the weapon from the air, the tarantula fired.

The readout on the program he'd run popped on to the display, and Jeremie inspected it hungrily. If everything…no. "No, no **no, NO!**" So close! He'd come so close!

Ulrich turned just in time to hear Aelita's grunt. As she flew back, electricity rippling across her chest, time seemed to slow down. "Super sprint!" Ulrich bolted for the opposite end of the platform, extending his hand as she reached the edge. His fingers extended toward Aelita's.

And met with air.

Odd could only stare as the pink-haired girl fell from the platform. He tried to shout, but the 'No' refused to pass his lips.

Jeremie blinked. No. It was impossible.

From the edge of the platform, Ulrich could see the look on her face as she tumbled through the air. He had never seen anyone look so afraid. When the Digital Sea compressed around her, he screamed.

Jeremie stared at the screen, his heart splitting. "Aelita! **AELITA!**"

Jeremie's hand left the keyboard, tearing clumps from his greasy hair as the tears he'd been holding for over a decade finally broke free. That was it.

She was gone.

…

"How about franks and beans?" Sissi offered, "we've still got a few cans left."

Ulrich shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

As Sissi turned back to the 'pantry' stacked against the kitchen wall, she cast a glance back at her husband. "Odd, put your coat away then come help me with dinner."

The blond gave an exaggerated shudder. "Yes, dear." As Odd lifted his coat from the back of the long-faded armchair, a worn matchbook tumbled from the front pocket to click against the floor. Odd bent down and shook his head. "Ah, damn. I was gonna leave these with Jeremie. He's out."

Ulrich sighed and lifted his own parka from its hook near the door. "Well, we better run them back, just in case. Work up an appetite. Come on."

Odd nodded swiftly before Sissi's voice pulled him away from the door. "Sure you're not just trying to get out of cooking?"

The blond grinned, then leaned back toward his wife for a quick kiss. "Come on, you know how much I love getting to use the can opener."

After a moment's pause, Yumi lifted herself from the bed by Jim's side. "You know what, Odd, you stay here. I'll go."

Ulrich glanced at her as she crossed the room. "Are you sure?"

Yumi looked down into his eyes as she grabbed her coat—after so many years, she was still taller than he was. "Yeah. I'm sure." She turned back to Sissi as Ulrich sighed and opened the door. "Watch Jim?"

"Of course. Dinner'll be ready when you get back."

Yumi nodded and clicked the door closed behind them.

The last harsh screams left in his voice finally giving out, Jeremie groped blindly toward the lift door. All he knew was that he had to get away; he couldn't be _there_ anymore.

Ulrich offered Yumi his hand as they climbed from the open manhole. When their eyes met, hers with a look of stubborn defiance, he sighed. "I'm trying to protect you again, aren't I?"

Yumi cracked a thin smile. "Yeah."

The brunette shook his head. "You'd think after sixteen years together I'd have gotten over it."

Yumi's smile widened almost imperceptibly. "You'd think."

"I just…you're a mother now."

She finished her ascent and Ulrich began to withdraw his hand, but Yumi caught it in her own. "And you're a father."

Ulrich could only sigh and smile. "We protect each other?"

"What do you know, took you sixteen years but you finally figured it out."

"Well, you know me, I'm a slow learner."

The couple turned to face the factory just as a faint blue shape dropped itself on to the bridge. Yumi's eyes narrowed. "Jeremie?"

By the time they had run to meet him, it was more than obvious that something was wrong. As he crawled forward on his hands and knees, hideous sobs wracked his body, his voice little more than the cry of a wounded animal. Ulrich's arm hooked under his, dragging the blond to his feet.

"Jeremie, what's going on?"

For a moment it seemed that the sharp tug had jerked the man back to his senses—then Jeremie began laughing hysterically. "I did it, Ulrich! I figured out the way to save her. To prevent all this from ever happening. I did it! I'm a hero!" Ulrich tried to pull away, but Jeremie's hand had begun to dig in to the arms of his parka. "**AND IT WON'T WORK**."

His last words were little more than a harsh whisper, but their impact almost sent Ulrich teetering back to the ground. Yumi edged closer, disappointed, but not surprised.

"What happened, Jeremie?"

He took a deep breath as he looked in to her eyes. "I figured out how to activate all the core Towers at once so we could return to the past over greater periods of time. But the ironic part was I needed Aelita to activate them."

Ulrich's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Wait, Jeremie, I remember you talking about that theory when we were kids. That's what you've been working on for fifteen years?"

"No!" Jeremie shook his head spasmodically. "No, you see…you see I knew I couldn't go through with that part of the plan without Aelita. I've been digging through billions of lines of code, trying to figure out what happens to someone when they fall in to the Digital Sea." His eyes turned back toward Yumi, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks again. "And I found it. I found a filter buffer where the pattern of the deleted file leaves a…a…cyber-genetic impression.

"For five years, I've been writing a program to dredge that code in order to reconstruct the virtual DNA strain it represents. I could have used it to bring Aelita back in our time, then she could activate the core Towers and we could return to the past and this would all be over."

Yumi shook her head. "Jeremie…that's brilliant."

"Yesss…but…it…won't…**WORK!**" Ulrich had to grab tighter to Jeremie's arms as he practically lunged at Yumi. "Her impression's been degrading for fifteen years while I've been **TWIDDLING MY THUMBS!**"

With a slight shudder, he seemed to regain control of himself, but Yumi could easily see the tears sliding down his cheeks. "There's not enough…not enough data left to reconstruct the whole sequence. I've worked the last fifteen years for… for nothing."

Yumi sank back in the snow, the full weight of the problem dawning on her as Ulrich gave her an uncomprehending glance. "Spend fifteen years working on something only to find out it's fifteen years too late."

Jeremie snorted. The bridge fell into silence, fat snowflakes drifting down around three slumped figures.

"Wait." Yumi's eyes lit up as the men turned toward her. "That program was supposed to bring Aelita back so we could return to the past." Jeremie nodded. "Who says we have to do it in that order?"

Jeremie almost began laughing again—Ulrich tried to restrain him, but before the brunette could react Jeremie had his arms around Yumi's neck, squeezing her in an ecstatic bear hug. Finally, the laughter began to spill forth, and Jeremie pushed back to look in to Yumi's eyes. "Do you have any idea what you just said?" Jeremie pushed off, sprinting back toward the factory almost faster than the couple could keep up with him. Jeremie's arms flew wantonly over his head as he turned back to shout gleefully at them.

"You just saved the world!"

…

The lift doors had barely opened wide enough to accommodate his gangly frame before Jeremie shoved through them into the lab. Yumi and Ulrich followed warily as the blond dove at the keyboard with a triumphant squeal.

Ulrich edged up alongside the console as panels of code opened and closed on the screen, so fast that he could only read a few words of every line. He looked at Jeremie—the dead pallor he had seen on his friend for so long was gone, replaced with a manic grin.

"All right…I'm pretty dumb, but please tell me this isn't something I should be getting."

Jeremie shook his head dismissively. "It was Yumi's great idea." More code swept past as Yumi tried to look over his shoulder. "Great idea…" Ulrich frowned. He was muttering to himself again.

"Hey, Einstein."

Jeremie's grin flipped toward the brunette. "You haven't called me that in ten years." Before Ulrich could respond, Jeremie turned back toward the monitor. "I can't bring Aelita back because in the time it took me to locate the buffer and write the program her pattern degraded. But if I knew where to look and how to pull her out before that happened, say…"

A moment of frantic clacking on the keys, then Ulrich's eyes flared to life. "…Say right after she died."

"It was Yumi's idea."

"You're a genius."

She shrugged. "I have my moments."

"So what exactly are you going to do?"

"Instead of sending the whole world back in time…I'm just going to send the Supercalculator," Jeremie elbowed Yumi out of the way as he turned toward the secondary monitor, "I'll activate the return to the past along a feedback loop. The dilation should fold in on itself, causing the stream to refract down until it only carries what I tell it to."

Ulrich began to grin. "God, I've missed your technobabble."

Yumi stared at the screen, fascinated. "It means he's going to send fifteen years worth of research back to himself just after Aelita's death."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to be able to do it alone. You have to go get Odd and Sissi—I'll need all four of you for this."

Ulrich nodded. "I'll go. You stay here and keep an eye on him?"

Yumi chuckled. "You kidding me? I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Ulrich's saber came down hard on the last of the hornets, sending the monster bouncing violently against the forest floor as it shattered. "We still need to take out that tarantula!"

Odd shook his head. "We…Ulrich, what's the use?"

Sissi catapulted in front of the blond, her bracer glowing red as she absorbed the laser meant for his back. "He's right, Odd! We have to keep fighting!"

Jeremie shook his head slowly, as if afraid that any sudden move would cause it to simply explode with the force of the tears he was holding back. "No. He's not."

"Jeremie, we—"

"No." The blond's voice sounded as if it was about to crack in half. "Without Aelita, we can't deactivate the Tower. We can't…

"Xana's won."

"We won!"

Sissi and Odd turned away from the uncooperative can of heating fuel as the force of Ulrich's body practically tore the front door off its hinges. "Ulrich, what…"

"Get your coats and get to the factory, I'll explain on the way!" As the confused couple turned to the door, Ulrich bolted across the room to scoop up the pile of blankets from the basket beside the beds. Barely visible between the folds, Jim's huge eyes blinked slowly, roused from sleep by his father's shouting. Ulrich just grinned. "You, my boy, are about to watch us old fogies save the world. One last time."

Ulrich's super speed died away as he reached the tarantula, his blade severing its leg and earning a shriek of rage from the robot. "Sissi, take the shot!"

The ninja flipped two shuriken directly at the monster's head, and it boiled away in a surge of energy just as the next two tarantulas stepped on to the bridge. "We've got company."

"Jeremie, we need vehicles!"

"Why? What's the point?"

Jeremie sprinted around the base of the Supercalculator wildly, pointing at various markings and impressions in the glowing golden surface. "There are four power distribution contacts…here, here…here and here. When I give the word, each of you needs to turn that contact as hard as you can to the left. That'll channel the power the computer generates back on itself, which will focus the timestream onto the hard drive itself. Then I can send the program to the past."

Ulrich looked down at the contact, then up at Yumi. She squinted. "What is it?"

He frowned. "I'm going to need both hands."

She nodded. "Jeremie." Her whisper caused the blond to stop his frantic movement, and Yumi took the bundle from her husband's hands and turned to the other man. "Jeremie, this is Jim."

As their hands met under the bundle, Jeremie looked down in wonder at the round, pudgy face staring back at him. "I…Odd told me, but I've never…"

"I know."

Jeremie's face cracked in to a grin. "He's so small."

Yumi pulled her hands back, her eyes meeting Jeremie's as the baby settled in to his arms. "Keep him safe."

The blond looked down at the child's gurgling smile, sniffed proudly, and nodded. "I…uh…I'll be on the comm as soon as we're ready."

As the lift doors closed behind him, the room fell to silence save the steady hum of the computer core. As if by some hidden signal, Yumi and Ulrich turned toward each other. "Yumi, I…" His hands reached up to cup hers and his eyes drifted in to hers. She looked as beautiful as the day he'd met her. He sighed. It had taken sixteen years, but he finally knew what he wanted to say. "It has been an honor to love you."

Yumi's arms tightened around his neck, tears flushing her face. "Ulrich, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you so much…"

As their lips met for what seemed like the first time, the other couple looked on nervously. Odd cleared his throat, his gaze drifting toward his wife.

"Sissi, uh…" he muttered. He shrugged. "What they said."

A smile teased at the corners of Sissi's lips, and her fingers intertwined with Odd's. "Ditto."

The two turned back to their friends, and Sissi's nose crinkled with laughter. "Hey, you two, get a room."

Blushing like they had the first time Odd and Sissi had broken in on them kissing back at Kadic, Ulrich and Yumi pulled apart slightly. But this time, they were grinning.

Jeremie's voice warbled over the speakers, their years of disrepair making his voice all but indistinguishable. "We're ready up here. Take your positions."

Jeremie typed the last of the code with one expert hand, the other holding a giggling Jim against his chest. He looked down at the baby, at the tiny ray of hope that the Long Winter had brought them, and smiled. "You know something, Jim?" He leaned toward the infant conspiratorially. "You're a lot more fun than your namesake." Baby Jim laughed. Jeremie smiled—for the first time in fifteen years—contentedly. "Here we go."

Yumi braced herself against the contact. She cast one last glance around at the people who had been her life for longer than she could remember, all gathered around the thing that had defined their lives. And it had been a privilege to be with them.

"Now!"

As one, four old friends put all their weight against the metal bars set in to the surface of the supercomputer, the electrical hum growing around them as each contact slid in to place. Jeremie watched the power levels spike, and closed his eyes.

"I love you, Aelita." He moved his hand over the enter key for the last time. "**RETURN TO THE PAST NOW!**" As the light coursed over him, Jeremie couldn't help but smile.

Jeremie's head hung just over the keyboard; he no longer had the strength to hold it up. An alert window blinked to life on a secondary monitor, but the newscaster's panicky words about how the average temperature had fallen by twenty degrees over the last hour didn't reach his ears. Then the urgent beeping of an opening program window drew his weary gaze. His eyes bulged.

"Ulrich! Sissi! Clear the platform!"

Ulrich blocked a tarantula's laser. "What?"

"Kill them, kill them all!"

Ulrich turned to Yumi; she shrugged. "Whatever you say, Einstein."

Jeremie's fingers were already flying. He had no idea where the program had come from, or even whether the buffer zone it referenced even existed. But that wasn't enough to stop him.

Ulrich rolled under the last tarantula's flailing arms, his saber knocked from his hands and the monster poised to crush him.

Then it exploded.

Ulrich looked over his shoulder to where Odd still had his hand extended from the shot. The blond shrugged. "In for a penny…"

The brunette shook his head with a wry smile. "All right, Jeremie, what's going—"

Jeremie slammed the enter key down. "This."

The four warriors stood at the corners of the platform, every eye drawn upward to the pulsing blue veins that had begun to course through the air. As the lines began to collect, they left the faint outline of…Ulrich shook his head. No. That was impossible.

The light coming from the framework grew until Sissi had to shade her eyes in order to keep looking. And she had to keep looking.

When the water of the Digital Sea began to drip down the body, Odd's jaw dropped.

As the light grew brighter still, streaming through the sheets of scintillating blue that covered the silhouette, Yumi almost regained her senses enough to move. As soon as she began to reach out her hand, the waters rocketed outward.

The four had to raise their arms to ward off the spray that pushed them back to the edges of the platform. When they finally opened their eyes, the girl floating lazily down toward them was the most beautiful sight they had ever seen.

"Aelita?" Odd was the first to manage to run forward. "Aelita!"

Before the pink-haired girl could react, she found herself buried under a pile of her friends. "Uh…guys? What's going on? Did we deactivate the Tower? Jeremie?" Aelita's eyes darted back and forth. "Guys?"

As the Tower icon faded and Jeremie entered the commands to bring the travelers home, he sprinted for the elevator. When the door opened on the scanner room, Aelita was just emerging from the central scanner. "Jeremie, what's going on here? You're all acting very—"

Aelita was nearly knocked off her feet as Jeremie's arms trapped her, his lips pushing against hers with a passion she never knew the blond had in him. When he pulled back from the kiss and realized what he had just done, Jeremie blushed. Aelita just stared in to his eyes, stunned.

Odd cleared his throat. "So…who's ready for lunch?"

As Aelita slipped her hand effortlessly in to Jeremie's and the six friends headed back to the lift—to a world that had no idea how close it had just come to destruction, nor how much it owed an insignificant gang of junior high school students—they could only laugh.


End file.
